What are the key elements of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?

An MVP is a slimmed down version of a product. It has just enough features to satisfy early adopters and allows you to gather feedback for its future development.  

Before you embark along the MVP road you should consider three main elements that will give your minimum viable product the best chance to make it in the real world. 

1. User experience

2. Functionality

3. Scalability

For these elements of your minimum viable product to be as effective as possible your MVP must be characterised with the following. 

• A narrow target audience 

• Useful functionality

• Testing and refining prior to launch 

1. User experience 

The user experience is the most important aspect of your MVP. It's all about ensuring that your product solves the problem it was designed for, thereby satisfying the needs of the end user. To achieve this, you need to first understand and determine: 

• Who exactly your users are

• What you hope your users will achieve when using your product

• How users interact with your technology 

Your MVP remit must focus on creating a simple/minimum and intuitive interface that is easy to use.  For instance, is navigating through the digital product easy and intuitive? Does it enable users to achieve their goals? Are ‘signposts’ clear? Does the key messaging align with what motivated users to visit the website or app in the first place? 

It is also important to consider conducting user research, creating user personas, and testing the interface to ensure the user experience is optimised as best as it can be. 

2. Functionality 

How does your digital product function?  

The goal of an MVP is not to create a fully functional product, but rather one with enough functionality to do the job, and for you and your team to gather feedback from early adopters. 

If it doesn’t function as expected, then you are not off to the best start. You must prioritise the essential features and functions to include in your MVP based on the needs of your target audience. And do not over-elaborate! Including more features than needed from the outset can lead to more complexity and higher costs.  

3. Scalability 

The ability to scale and evolve your digital product in line with changing trends, trends, customer behaviour etc. is vital. For instance, using cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products will enable you to scale up or down accordingly.   

Scalability must be considered from the outset. Don't build a product that cannot be scaled! Design it with scalability in mind. Use the latest tech and architectures that can handle increased traffic and data storage.  

You also must test your MVP to ensure that it can be scaled and adapted as and when needed. For example, can it handle increased traffic loads? Creating a plan for future development ensures your product can evolve with whatever is thrown at it. 

Working with Codehouse 

At Codehouse our Product Development team is available to discuss your digital product and get your business idea off the ground in the shape of a Minimum Viable Product.  

Get in touch to find out more.